Whole Wheat Pasta with Wilted Shallots, Mushrooms, and Fresh Mozzerella

Pasta makes a quick and easy lunch or dinner at the drop of a hat.  In restaurants, pasta dishes can be extremely costly, which is interesting seeing as it is generally one of the cheapest dishes for any kitchen to make.  Making pasta at home gives you the freedom to make it just how you like it.  The addition of a few different ingredients can make any pasta dish more interesting and much tastier.  

I always make my own sauce for my pasta, because there's not much more in the jarred sauces than tomato, salt, pepper, and maybe some herbs.  I can do that myself - cheaper and better.  From start to finish, this dish will take about 15 - 20 minutes.  Also known as dinner in a snap.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Wilted Shallots, Mushrooms, and Mozzarella

Served 2.

Leftover Potential: Keeps very well, re-heats perfectly.  Made 4 meals after the initial dinner.

1 lb whole wheat pasta

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 Tbsp tomato paste

15 oz. crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp basil, chiffonade

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 ball fresh mozzarella, cubed

pepperocini, as needed for garnish

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 5-7 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

2.  In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

3.  Add the tomato paste.  Stir to combine.  Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer over low heat.  Season with basil, salt, pepper, and any other desired herbs.  

4.  Add the mushrooms and shallots.   Allow to cook until the mushrooms are soft and the shallots are wilted. 

5.  Add the pasta and toss to coat.  Add the fresh mozzarella, stirring to combine and distribute.  Turn off the heat.

6.  Serve in hot plates, topped with sliced pepperocini.

Ricotta Gnocchi with Caramelized Onions and Bacon

Many people are nervous at the idea of making their own pasta, and I suppose for good reason. Pasta is one of those easy-to-impress dishes, which is only magnified by it's easiness to prepare.  All you have to do to earn rave reviews is to toss a box of dried pasta into some hot water, and take the praise as it comes at you, because everyone loves pasta.  But making your own pasta brings your dish over the top, transforming it from a plain old pasta dish to a magnificent culinary creation.  

Ok, so perhaps I'm being a bit dramatic, but I found a pasta recipe so simple, every apartment cook would be able to make it with no difficulties whatsoever.  It's a classic twist on the well known gnocchi, or Italian pasta dumpling.  Normally made with potatoes, gnocchi are tender and delicious when cooked, though slightly time-consuming to prepare.  With this recipe, ricotta replaces the potato in the dough, making it easier and faster to prepare.  

The end product, however, is no less delicious, rich, or satisfying.  In less than 20 minutes, you too can make your own pasta from scratch...and no one has to know how easy it was.

Ricotta Gnocchi with Caramelized Onions and Bacon

Served 2

Leftover Potential: Reheats relatively well, but do not keep for more than 1 or 2 days as the gnocchi begins to lose some of it's texture.  Provided one more meal after the initial dinner.

For the gnocchi:

2 oz all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

6.5 oz ricotta cheese

1 egg

.75 oz olive oil

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

4 pieces bacon, cooked until done in the oven, then chopped into bite size pieces

1/4 cup chives, finely minced

cayenne pepper, to taste

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

parmesan cheese, to  garnish

1. Mix together the flour and the salt in a medium bowl.  In a separate container, mix together the ricotta, egg, and olive oil.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the ricotta mixture.  Mix until completely combined into a useable dough, 1-2 minutes.

2. Form the gnocchi using your hands and a fork.  For video instructions, check THIS out.

3.  When all the gnocchi are formed, cook them in a large pot of salted boiling water until they are cooked through completely, and rise to the surface, about 6-8 minutes. Drain the gnocchi and set aside.

4.  In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and cook until beginning to caramelize.  Then, add the garlic and allow to cook until aromatic, about another minute.  Add the bacon and allow to cook until it gets even crispier, 1-2 minutes.  Add the chives, and season with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste.  

5.  Serve in a warm bowl with grated parmesan cheese.  

The Inaugural Meal: Tortellini with Squash, Leeks, and Pheasant Sausage

About a month ago, I graduated from college. It was, and is, a strange time for me as I began the transition from college student to possibly beginning my life as a grown up. I've been told that the first step in this is to stop referring to adults as "grown ups", but that message hasn't quite sunk in yet. But I started the process: I got a job, I found a place, and I moved out: into my first apartment.

Like most young adults making this transition, I am facing the regular hardships: distance from my friends, continued distance from my family, the difficulties of working a full time job, and, perhaps worst of all, a lack of kitchen equipment. Because unlike other college students, I was not only studying books, maps, and charts, but knife skills, mixing methods, and how to discern chervil from cilantro and parsley. I guess you can say I didn't go to a "normal" college, but for myself and my fellow students, food is our way of life.  And finally receiving my diploma from The Culinary Institute of America has provided me with an exciting new opportunity: no longer paying room and board allows me to begin to really cook for myself on a daily basis for the first time since I began my schooling three years ago.  And in my own kitchen!

So, with that said...welcome to my kitchen.  I don't have much in the ways of tools, equipment, or even silverware.  But that's not going to stop me from serving up delicious, simple, and cost effective meals (generally for 1 or 2) from right here in The Apartment Kitchen.



Please excuse the mess, this was taken as I was still getting unpacked. But Matt (my wonderous boyfriend pictured above) and I still cooked ourselves our first meal: tortellini with squash, leeks, and sausage. I had purchased some fresh items from my local farmer's market when my parents were visiting me for my graduation, so we bought lots of fresh herbs, seasonal vegetables, as well as farm-fresh eggs, and some pheasant sausage. This was a homemade sausage infused with garlic made at a nearby farm, but for this dish any sausage would work wonderfully. Best of all, this dish was super easy. We used pre-made tortellini, though it would be even better with freshly made.

The verdict: quick, delicious, local, and seasonal.  The squash was incredibly creamy and the sausage provided great flavor throughout all of the ingredients.  An excellent first meal.



Tortellini with Squash, Leeks, and Sausage

Served 2 plus leftovers

Leftover Potential: Keeps nicely, and reheats easily, provided two more meals after the initial dinner.

1 package cheese or meat tortellini

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small squash, such as butternut or carnival, cut into bite size pieces

2 leeks, white part only, cut in half and sliced finely

3 cooked sausages, cut into bite size pieces*

2 Tbsp sage, finely minced or chiffonade

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

parmesan cheese, to taste

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the tortellini and cook until tender.

2.  Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil and sweat the onions over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until soft and aromatic.  Set aside in a large bowl.

3.  In the same pan, heat another 1 Tbsp of olive oil and cook the squash over medium heat until tender and caramelized.  Add the leeks and cook until they are wilted and soft.  Set aside along with the onions and garlic.

4.  In the same pan, cook the sausage over medium heat until the edges brown.  Since the sausage is already cooked, this is just to warm and create a crust.  Right before removing the sausage from the pan, add the sage and let cook until wilted slightly.  Set aside with the vegetables.

5.  When the tortellini is ready, drain completely, then return to the large pot it was cooked in.  Add the vegetable/sausage mixture and toss together over low heat.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  

6.  Serve in large, warm bowls garnished with grated parmesan cheese and more sage.  

*You can buy sausages that are already cooked, like the homemade one I purchased with my family.  If you buy a pack of raw sausages, such as Italian sausages at the grocery store, simply cook the amount you need.  Or cook the entire pack and use them for a variety of meals all week long.